James Leith on Realms of Memory: the Construction of The

Pierre Nora. Realms of Memory: The Construction of the French Past. New York and Chichester, West Sussex: Columbia University Press, 1998. ix + 751 pp. $39.50 US, cloth, ISBN 978-0-231-10926-0. Reviewed by James A. Leith Published on H-France (April, 1999) Historians of France will mostly already be problems with the theoretical underpinning and familiar with the three volumes entitled Lieux de with the individual chapters. memoire under the direction of Pierre Nora pub‐ The problems with this volume begin with the lished between 1984 and 1992. The English trans‐ conceptual framework put forward in the intro‐ lations have been rather slow to appear, but are duction by the editor. Pierre Nora argues that be‐ now complete with the publication last year of the hind the obvious choice of subjects--emblems, ma‐ third volume. The translations will make some of jor sites, and historical personalities--lies the the articles available to a wider audience, espe‐ question of what is the symbolic dimension of cially to undergraduates. Readers should be such symbols. Instead of discussing the nature of warned, however, that the volumes have different symbols, how they work on the human mind, and titles, the articles appear in different volumes, why they have proved useful to various religious and some articles have been deleted. Here under and political movements throughout history, he the rubric Symbols are grouped seventeen articles contends that the topics of the book mask two dif‐ in three sections. The section on Emblems covers ferent kinds of symbols: imposed and constructed. the tricolour fag, the Marseillaise, the slogan In his view state symbols are imposed symbols of "Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity," and Bastille the purest type. In their case, a symbolic and Day. The second section on Major Sites covers Las‐ memorial intention is inscribed in the object itself caux, Reims, the Louvre, Versailles, the Pantheon, and the historian's task is to trace the various the Eiffel Tower, and Verdun. Then the third sec‐ forms and vicissitudes of that intention. He adds tion "Identifications" (a term that will seem that state symbols are not the only examples of strange to many Anglophones) covers the Gallic imposed symbols. The Pantheon and the Eiffel Cock, Joan of Arc, Descartes, Paris, the French lan‐ Tower were also conceived from the frst as sym‐ guage, and the Era of Commemoration. All these bols, memorials, and monuments. topics excite one's interest, but there are serious H-Net Reviews All this is questionable. The division of im‐ this counter argument as someone who has writ‐ posed symbols and constructed ones is largely a ten extensively about symbols, monuments, and distinction without a difference. Nora's argument myths and consequently is not inclined to mini‐ glosses over the fact that the symbols imposed by mize their role. the state were not selected arbitrarily, but had The preoccupation with memory throughout been formed and gained significance over a long obscures the importance of its opposite in nation- period of time. The major symbols chosen at the building: forgetting. Like most European coun‐ time of the definitive establishment of the Repub‐ tries, the unification and expansion of France en‐ lic around 1880--the tricolour fag, the Marseil‐ tailed a lot of violence and suppression of opposi‐ laise as a national anthem, the Bastille Day as a tion, now better played down for the sake of na‐ national holiday, and the motto "Liberty, Equality, tional unity. Nation-building has also involved the Fraternity"--all had evolved (a better word in my gradual assimilation of linguistic minorities, using opinion than constructed) over almost a century. compulsory education as a principal weapon. The creation of the Pantheon during the Revolu‐ Moreover, as France moved through various tion was the culmination of a demand for a shrine forms of monarchy, empire, and republic, the tri‐ to honour great men that had been growing for umph of certain symbols has involved the obliter‐ generations. Even the Eiffel Tower of 1889, as ation or neglect of others. This explains why close to a pure sign as any other symbol, was the among symbolic sites the basilica of Sacre-Coeur product of umpteen proposals for a tower going is missing while the Pantheon gets a whole chap‐ back at least as far as 1789. It is difficult to distin‐ ter. There was a long struggle by devout Catholics guish these symbols from the ones which Nora beginning in the seventeenth century to make the lists as constructed ones such as the Gallic Cock. Sacred Heart into a national symbol. During the Even more problematical is Nora's contention Revolution, the Sacred Heart was used as a sym‐ that France exists nowadays only through impor‐ bol of opposition to the Republic. In the nine‐ tant emblems, symbolic sites, and memories of teenth century the Sacred Heart competed vigor‐ historic personalities. While conceding that the ously with Marianne. This movement culminated emergence of the European community, various in the building of the basilica atop Montmartre. international agencies, and globalized trade have Today many people are familiar with the shrine, made national frontiers less important, it seems but know little of its origins or significance. It has to be going too far to argue as Nora does that the failed in its purpose because of the triumph of re‐ object "France" no longer makes sense as a unit of publicanism and secularism. Perhaps Nora could study and that it is only in memory that the con‐ give us a complementary series on lieux d'oubli. cepts of cohesiveness, unity, and continuity retain Moreover, since this is a translation from a their pertinence and legitimacy. Such a contention French text written some time ago and reviewed seems to ignore the fact that France has had a dis‐ often, it is surprising that there are so many er‐ tinct territory for centuries, has a highly central‐ rors. If one is writing about symbols, one should ized national government, a unified administra‐ look at them carefully, but frequently the text and tive system, a common tax system, a network of the images contradict each other. The problem be‐ schools, and a national rail, highway and postal gins early: in the frst chapter, an article on the system. I think that French citizens paying income tricolour by Raoul Girardet, the author uses a re‐ taxes and TVA would not be impressed with the production of a painting of the Declaration of the argument that France is now "purely problemati‐ Rights of Man (fig. 1.0) in which there is a winged cal" except for the memories perpetuated and figure on the upper right which he calls the Spirit rekindled by symbolic history. And I am making 2 H-Net Reviews of the Enlightenment. He states that this allegori‐ Despite the problems of the theoretical frame‐ cal fgure is holding a torch, whereas the reader work, the inaccurate description of some symbols, can see she is holding a sceptre. The light which and simple factual errors, all the articles deserve dominates the top of the painting radiates out, not reading. They look at France from various van‐ from a torch, but from an equilateral triangle tage points. Especially interesting are the articles with an eye in the centre, symbol of the Eternal. on the checkered history of the Tricolour, the con‐ There are many such incorrect descriptions of the tested history of the omnipresent motto of the Re‐ plates. In the article on the motto "Liberty, Equali‐ public, the partial failure of the Pantheon, the ty, and Fraternity" a design for a timbre by Au‐ changing views of the Eiffel Tower, and the gustin Dupre (fig. 3.2) is labeled c. 1790, whereas it strange history of the Gallic Cock. None of the arti‐ was part of a series designed in Year II. In other cles fails to arouse interest. cases the illustrations are reversed (fig. 12:13 and Copyright (c) 1999 by H-Net, all rights re‐ 12:14). These errors are surprising in a work with served. This work may be copied for non-profit such pretensions. educational use if proper credit is given to the au‐ There are also serious errors in the texts by thor and the list. For other permission, please con‐ distinguished historians. In his piece on the Mar‐ tact [email protected]. seillaise Michel Vovelle tells us that the rival In‐ ternationale was written by Eugene Poittier in 1888, whereas it was written late in the Com‐ mune. Edouard Pommier informs us that Le‐ brun's painting of "The Crossing of the Rhine" shows the river as an old man who spitefully overturns an urn, whereas it is well known that fleuves (unlike ordinary rivers) are invariably shown as old men and rivers are almost always symbolized by urns spilling water. Mona Ozouf speaks of "the chain of statues" on the Place des Victoires which fails to make clear that the fa‐ mous statues by Desjardins around the base of the statue of Louis XIV were in chains. She also tells us that the remains of Mirabeau were spirited out a side door of the Pantheon at the very moment when Jean-Paul Marat's entered by the main en‐ trance. She is relying on a proposal by Jacques Louis David on 24 Brumaire Year II, but this was not implemented. The remains of Marat were not Panthionized until the ffth Sansculottide of Year II. Ozouf again uses a speech by David to discuss the festival planned for the Pantheonization of the remains of the young Republican martyrs Joseph Bara and Joseph-Agricole Viala, but that festival was canceled because of the overthrow of Maximilien Robespierre.

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